The Last Magician (The Last Magician #1)

I really wanted to like this book. It came highly recommended by 2 of my favorite YouTube book reviewers. But, this ended up being a real slog to get through, and I probably won\’t be buying the 2nd book in the series. Pacing. This book is fairly lengthy for YA. It begins fairly briskly, but then s-l-o-w-s down for the next several hundred pages, before rushing to an incomplete ending. The central heist takes a back seat to long descriptions of the world; these are well written, and quite engaging, but the heist itself, and the magic-world, receive little commentary. As other reviewers have noted, the \”magic\” is mostly concealed–so, the 3rd person narrator doesn\’t really describe the magic, it\’s uses, consequences, etc. Characters: I had real problems with the heroine, Esta. She\’s been trained since childhood in unarmed combat and theft by stealth. But, she has no discipline, and argues with teammembers during critical times (frequently in the midst of hazardous operations). If someone grabs her by the arm, she is helplessly captured, and cannot break free. The author writes her into some really dangerous situations, but Esta\’s reactions are more damsel-in-distress than trained and experienced thief. For all characters, no one trusts anyone else, and this is repeated throughout the book, and frequently. Romance is at the grade-school level, though this is YA lit, and the actors are young adults. There is a lesbian almost-couple, but that is all implied, and never realized. The Asian major character is a highlight, and the European immigrants are also well protrayed, but these are generally the exceptions. Gender. Even though Esta–our main character–is certainly a young woman, most of the female characters are weak. Even Esta is continually abused, and assualted. There are several deaths; most of them are women. Most of the deprivation is suffered by women. Now, this may have been historically accurate, but the result can be dark and relentless. The author does write well, and I found the generic world-building beautifully descriptive, if dark. I do wish the magical world received the same attention. I mostly wish the young-adult characters weren\’t artificially hamstrung with low maturity.

Ive been meaning to read this one for a while, but the Shelflove Crate Annual Readathon pushed me to it along with an email I got letting me know the second book in the series is due to be released this year. I read The Last Magician for challenge 8 of the readathon, which was meant to be A Book Involving Time. I dont remember any specific TW/CWs for this one so lets just dive right in! The characters in this novel were all really well developed. Each individual character is so three dimensional and realistic that I have trouble imagining them as fictional characters and not real people. The use of multiple points of view was slightly confusing at first because I wasnt expecting it and I wasnt reading the physical version, but I quickly got used to the idea. Also, I have three words for you: Slow. Burn. Romance. The Last Magician is set in New York City during various times, present day all the way back to 1902. I really like how Lisa Maxwell was able to layer it all so that the world is the same but also very different between these two times. She also managed to layer in another world with it that was a creation all her own, though now that Im thinking on it gives me a bit of the good ole Wizarding World feel. Ive not personally been to New York City, which I feel is odd given Im originally from upstate, but I did feel like I could have been walking down the streets alongside these characters. I got Six of Crows feels in quite a few spots, so this is great for lovers of the Grishaverse, but its definitely distinct so the comparison stops there. Its just a feeling I got while reading that was very perfect for readers of and I felt I had to share. Thinking on it while writing this review, Im going to go ahead and say that The Last Magician is basically a Six of Crows meets the Wizarding World and I, for one, am 120% here for it. The story itself is absolutely brilliant and flows incredibly well, though as I said before I did get a little confused at the beginning of the audiobook because of the varying points of view taking place in different times of the same city. It was basically one plot twist after another and I just loved every single moment of it. The audiobook version of The Last Magician was narrated by Candace Thaxton and I was not at all fond of her reading. Her voice was a bit scratchy? That alone wouldnt have been a problem but the way she read the novel really bothered me. Her inflection didnt fit the story at all and it ended up bugging me enough that I put the audiobook version away and read the second half of the novel in its hardcover physical version. Ill probably avoid listening to her work in the future. In general this book is fantastic and I have no idea what took me so long to read it but I wont make that same mistake with the sequel. Im definitely looking forward to that and anything else Lisa Maxwell writes because I just enjoyed this novel beginning to end. I may even reread it when the sequel comes out just because it was that darn good!

So I first wanted to read it as it was set in the early 1900s and I love historical fiction and this book had magic and was about a heist! So it already had me intrigued. When I started reading it I knew I would love this book and I was completely hooked. The only rule that counted was to not get caught. The first few chapters are set in different time periods as we meet all the characters and get a feel for the story. It can seem confusing at first but I was able to figure things out fairly quickly and with the multiple points of view were able to see a wider view of the world and the way the magic system works than if we had only seen things from one of them. I loved the setting so much it was so vivid and we got to see so much of New York and not just the glittery parts but also the poorer parts where things arent so rosy and life is difficult. The world building was really great and we get to see more and more of the world and see it become more complex and intricate. The characters themselves are all amazing, it was hard to hate any character even the villain. They were all complex and had great character building. They were each given time to develop as the story progressed and each had their own back stories and storylines interwoven into the main story wonderfully. It didnt feel forced or that we were given unnecessary information which might have clogged up the story. My favourite character was of course Esta, who has the ability to manipulate time and can travel between different time periods. She has to live in the early 1900s and even though she was from our present day so it was fun to see how she had to adjust to being a woman in that time. She is funny, sassy and I love that we got to see a vulnerable side to her, who doubts her ability but persists nonetheless. It was one of the things I loved about her. But then, people usually do miss whats right in front of them. My other favourite character is Harte Darrigan who is sassy and acts as though he doesnt care about others and always likes to stay in control of the situation but we also see a more vulnerable side. His and Estas banter and rivalry was one of my favourite parts of the story and we get to see how their relationship develops. The story itself develops at a good pace and we get to see it build to the ending which left me shocked as it was so unexpected. The story is a heist and full of deception where each character has their own motives and plans despite working together as a team, no-one is who they claim to be and we have to figure out who we can trust. The revelation of the villain was so surprising and unexpected too which just goes to show that no-one can be trusted in this book! But then, liars do make the best magicians, and he happened to be exceptional. We also get a sense of urgency for Esta to complete her job as she has a news clipping from the future which keeps changing depending on the actions and changes that happen in the past. It was a nice addition to create more suspense and keep us on the edge of our seats. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction, magic, time travelling and heists!

OMG you know that feeling a few chapters into a book when you just know youve found a new favourite book, thats how I felt reading this book. I was honestly so engrossed with this story and every time I had to stop reading I would think constantly about what I had just read, Im just so in love with this book it is honestly one of the best books Ive read in a while and I know it is one of my new favourite series even without having read the second book yet but Im honestly so excited to start the next book. Like it kept me constantly wanting to know what was coming and I gasped when the big plot twists were revealed near the end of the book, I cant recommend this book enough

I absolutely loved this YA fantasy about time-travel, New York gangs, heists, and magic. The New York setting was beautifully atmospheric, especially the sections set in 1902 and hooked me immediately with its immediacy and rich detail. Esta was a brilliant main character and one I grew to love. Her ability to manipulate time was such fun yet it never felt like an easy-out in any difficult situation. I fell in love with the magician Harte Darrigan and his interactions with Esta were my favourite part. The cast of characters was unforgettable and each one stood out. Viola and Jianyu were my favourite supporting characters and I hope we see more of them in the next book. I\’m also interested in exploring Esta\’s history and family a little more at some point following the reveals of this book. I hurtled through this 500-page book with its intrigue, plotting and betrayals. The last 100 pages contained twist after twist meaning I couldn\’t put it down until I\’d finished at 4 am. For such a big book, it never felt like it dragged. I can\’t wait for \’The Devil\’s Thief\’ later this year, especially with it now being a race against time for Esta and her new crew. I would definitely recommend this book if you\’re looking for a slightly different YA fantasy or for fans of \’Six of Crows\’.

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